JP 3-50 National Search and Rescue Manual Vol I - US Navy

The receiving and recording of information should not delay other
SAR response. Communications should be maintained with a person or
craft reporting an emergency, and they should be kept advised of action
being taken. Shifting frequencies should be avoided. When a frequency
shift is necessary, positive communication should be established on the
second frequency before leaving the first. For incidents reported by
telephone, the name and telephone number of the caller should be
recorded in case additional information is needed later.
412 SAR Incident Data
Whenever possible, SAR incident data should be collected from the
reporting source, with the most important information gathered first in
case communication is lost. If, while information is being gathered,
the need for an immediate response is indicated, SRUs should be
dispatched. In addition, see Chapter 8 for specifics of Land SAR. The
following information is desirable:
A. Type of incident and nature of the emergency.
B. Location and time of the incident.
1. Planning and action depend on establishing, as accurately as
possible, the location of the incident. The person accepting
the information should verify location information:
a. If the location given used a coordinate system
(latitude and longitude), ask how the position was determined
(i.e. bearing, ranges, or LORAN C lines including the stations
and rates).
b. If the position is a known geographical location,
obtain bearings to other known objects in the immediate area,
or a description of the reference object(s).
2. The time at which the incident took place, or when the person
or craft was last seen or known to be in a verifiable
location, affects search planning, especially datum
computation.
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